


Stale Blood and Broken Stone

by caochpotata



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Anyways, i saw a tweet and went feral, it's just a lil fantasy thing bc i'm soft for that shit, no beta we undying like cursed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caochpotata/pseuds/caochpotata
Summary: A creature of stone, sat to wait.A traveler, unsure of his past and future.And a promise.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Stale Blood and Broken Stone

It had heard the stories.

The legends, the myths and scary bedtime tales alike. Both the shared whispers in shady alleys and the big epics written in books long forgotten.

  
  
  


It knew what people said about it.

  
  
  


The king of a long lost civilization, made out of stone, set to wait for the last of his men to return.

  
  


Bound to his throne, staring straight ahead, unmoving and preserved in time until the last of the people he once called his own comes and pledges their trust.

  
  


Undying but not alive, cursed to survive the end of time, as the last remnants of what was once a glorious empire are rotting to their grounds.

  
  
  
  


And they were true.

  
  
  


Atop the mountain laid ruins of a long lost castle.

Within its walls a throne housing a creature of stale blood and broken stone.

  
  


It’s mind foggy, mixing the eons that have been passing by in a blink and the barely moving sunlight in the dusty throne room that makes every single day feel longer than he can manage.

  
  


Bones stiff from sitting, unmoved since the last time a breathing creature shared his space.

  
  


With closed eyes that were useless if open, gone blind after having starred unblinking at the same unmoving scene for longer than he can figure out.

  
  


But an unbroken trust in the promise it once made.

  
  


If all failed and the creature doubted the world and its very own existence, its own words from before time became irrelevant echoed through the silence.

  
  


“I will keep myself safe and alive until you return. I will sit on this throne when you walk in and everything will be alright.”

  
  


A promise, made like every other.

  
  


And yet it had held so much more to it.

  
  


It essentially became a curse.

  
  
  


Time passed, much more time than it should have.

And the creature had kept ruling its world like every other day. Making decisions, talking through problems, listening to the needs of the people it called its own.

Until one fateful day a messenger broke into the halls and disturbed the comfortable calm in the creature's life.

  
  
  


“The troupes have fallen. Our borders are broken.”

  
  


These are the last memories still holding up in the creature's mind.

Everything else had become a blur of time and dust.

  
  


People had come and gone, some trying to kill it, some trying to get it to a more safe space.

But they all failed and the creature kept sitting on the throne - bound by a promise nobody knew it made.

  
  
  


It sat. Undying and waiting.

  
  
  


For one day it’s lover to come back to safety.

  
  
  
  
  


–––––––––––––––

  
  
  
  
  


"What exactly is on this hill up there?"

  
  
  


The question leaves Jongho's mouth before he can think again.

The bartender down the bar raises a suspicious eye at him.

  
  


"You're not from around here, are ya?" 

A slow shake of his head is Jongho's answer

  
  


"Ruins, is what's up there. The old remains of what once was the home of the ruler of this land" he comes a few steps closer and eyes Jongho up and down

"Nothing left but a single locked room nobody has entered for generations. Why you asking, traveler?"

  
  


Jongho diverts his eyes down to the mug with coffee in his hands.

  
  


"Something's been telling me to go up there. it's this weird feeling i can't put my finger on. wanted to know if it's be worth to give into the craving"

  
  


"Ahh, a young spurt looking for mystery and adventure. where are you from, may I ask ? you don't seem to be acquainted with the area here"

  
  


"I've been traveling for a while now, let's keep it at that"Â 

A secretive smile plays around his lips as he gulps down the remaining half of his drink.

He puts down a few coins on the bar - far more than he would have had to, but a hint told him he wouldn't be needing it anymore for now.

  
  
  
  


It's windy when Jongho stops at the outskirts of the fallen castle. Not much is lying around, most of the material seemingly been used for the town below or rotten away after centuries of being exposed to the open sky.

  
  


It's a pity, Jongjo thinks as he walks through the scattered debris towards the only thing that remained standing despite time and nature.

  
  


A single room stayed upright while adjacent walls had been torn down by storms or a man's hand.

But nothing seemed to hint on why this structure had been left alone.

  
  


Jongho steps onto the few steps leading to the doors.

  
  


Pretentious is all Jongho can think of as he runs his hand over the carved doors that stand at double his size.

It takes a bit of finesse and tugging with the right force to get the handle to work again - but pushing the doors inwards works better than he had thought.

  
  


Quietly the doors move as he watches a few rays of sunlight hit the marbled floor.

  
  


Jongho doesn't get further than a few steps before his wandering eyes fall onto the throne in the backside of the hall.

  
  


To his surprise, a figure is sitting in it. Jongho feels curiosity take over him as he carefully steps up to it, kneeling besides it and letting his hand gently grace over the stone carved statue.

  
  


Most of it shows signs of wear and tear - the limbs cracked, the shoulders dusty, some clothing details broken off and lying on the lap. But the face - the face is untouched. Features clear and detailed in front of him.

  
  


Jongho has a sense of deja vu as he looks at the face. It seems familiar to the point of startling jongho to his core.

  
  


The thing is - Jongho doesn't have a lot of memories. A thick fog blocking his mind, giving him headaches should he try to pry onto what lies behind.

  
  


What he had said in the tavern was true - he had been traveling for a long time.

  
  


But he wasn't sure for how long.

Or where he came from.

Or why he always seemed to know what road to take without being aware of his destination.

  
  


All he knew right now was that this seemed like the goal of his journey - A sense of warmth and familiarity spread through his body the longer he stared at the features carved in stone.

  
  


Without knowing why - as if he had ever known a reason for his actions - he raised his hand to gently cup the statue's face.

  
  


And without a thought he mumbled

  
  


"i'm home”

  
  
  


The stone under his hand cracked.

  
  
  


Jongho's hand startles back as he watched the beautiful stone break in front of him, crumbling inwards and dissolving into dust before his eyes.

  
  


He jolts, his foot catching on a crack in the flooring sending him flying - but he never meets the floor.

  
  


As he carefully opens his eyes another pair is staring right back at him.

  
  


"you held you promise, darling"

  
  


Jongho perplexed gathers himself upright with the help of - with the help of a man wearing the statues features.

  
  


"what-... what promise?"

  
  


A careful chuckle fills the little space between them as jongho's face gets caressed with gentle hands.

  
  


"that you would return unscathed from battle, my darling"

  
  


a soldier, bound to head into battle.

a king, meant to rule his people.

a promise that held more power than anticipated.

a kiss that sealed the fate of two lovers.

  
  
  


Jongho's eyes flash in realization.

  
  
  


"Yeo... Yeosang? Just how long have you been wai-"

  
  


Cut off by lips crashing into his, Jongho carefully brings his hands around the back of Yeosang to hold him as close as he trust himself without breaking the other's ribs.

  
  


"you're home" Yeosang frantically mumbles between kisses with a smile holding the hurt of passed eons and the warmth of a lover reunited with his long lost thought love.

  
  


"i'm home" Jongho thinks as he breathes their shared air and tastes the sweet euphoria of having finally found where he belongs.

  
  


_ \--fin-- _


End file.
